It is well known in the industry that particulate surface contamination of semiconductor wafers typically degrades device performance and affects yield. When processing wafers, it is desirable that particles and contaminants such as, but not limited to, photoresist, photoresist residue, and residual etching reactants and byproducts be minimized.
A problem in semiconductor manufacturing is that the chemicals used in cleaning steps can react with exposed metal surfaces and corrode/oxidize the exposed metal surfaces. It would be advantageous to prevent or reduce corrosion/oxidation of exposed metal surfaces that can occur during cleaning steps.